When I don’t know what I want to eat, I always turn to vegetable fried rice. This recipe is so easy and full of color and nutrients.
Vegetable fried rice or stir-fry is one of my favorite go-to meals because it is so easy to make, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand. There is no right or wrong way to make stir-fry but let’s break down some of the best ways to build your perfect stir-fry.
STEP ONE: RICE
You can use any rice that you have but the most common types are basmati or jasmine rice. These white rices are similar, but basmati rice tends to be fluffier whereas jasmine rice is stickier. You can also use brown rice that offers more fiber per gram of rice. The trick of making fried rice taste great is to work with cold rice. If you can plan ahead and make a big batch of rice, then store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. The cold rice will fry up better, and it may also offer more health benefits! When grains like rice are cooked and cooled, they create a type of prebiotic called resistant starch. This fiber is a great food for your gut bugs! You can also use a rice substitute if your looking for a grain-free option.
STEP TWO: VEGGIES
The beauty of fried rice is that you can literately use anything you want! You can approach it a couple of ways though. You can make fried rice when you are desperate with whatever ingredients you can find in your fridge. You can make fried rice when you have a random assortment of vegetables you need to use up. You can go to the store and buy all your favorites for the dish. You can try to get a vegetable of every color to eat the rainbow. You can also pick specific ingredients like tofu or edamame to increase the protein content of your meal. All are great ways to make stir-fry! Some vegetables that make the rice great for me are baby corn and green onions!
STEP THREE: SAUCE
When I saute my veggies, I like to use toasted sesame oil like this one because of the flavor it adds to the dish. The sesame flavor really makes fired rice taste like it’s from a restaurant. As you fry the rice and veggies, soy sauce is the main flavor that the rice takes up. You can use soy sauce, gluten free tamari, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos, whatever you’d like!
However you decide to build your fried rice, I’m sure it will be delicious! But, if you’re not feeling creative, here’s my basic recipe for vegetable fried rice! If you want to add some tofu to this dish, check out my fried tofu recipe here.
Rainbow Vegetable Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice
- ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 small red pepper
- 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms
- 1 can baby corn
- 1 head broccoli
- ½ cup edamame
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the rice and refrigerate as long as possible. Using a 2:1 ratio of water to rice, bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and rice is soft.
- To prep the vegetables, cut the onion and pepper into thin julienne strips. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and cut the caps into thin strips as well.
- Drain the baby corn from the liquid in the can and cut into bite sized chunks.
- Cut the broccoli florets off of the steam or use precut broccoli.
- If the edamame is frozen in the pods, add the pods to a bowl with a little water and microwave for about 1 minute so that the pods are defrosted enough to remove the beans.
- To cook the stir-fry, use a wok or large pan and add the sesame oil. Heat the pan and the oil until the oil is thin and free flowing.
- Add the onion and pepper and cook until onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms and broccoli.
- When the broccoli is bright green, add the baby corn and edamame. If the pan gets dry, add some soy sauce to the veggies.
- When the veggies are soft, add in the cold rice and stir to mix. Add the soy sauce slowly and taste. Add more soy sauce to your preference.
- Remove from heat when the rice is warm and well coated in soy sauce. Top with sesame seeds and enjoy!